At times in Christian thought, the priorities of pure doctrine and passionate mission have been perceived as opposites on a spectrum where emphasis on one results in neglect of the other, but without one, the other is deficient and doomed to crumble. Mission without doctrine is like a body without a skeleton, but apart from mission, doctrine is like dry bones in a museum. A Lutheran Reformission maintains a dual emphasis, resulting in doctrinal missions as well as missional doctrine.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Q:Can a person to say they hate
religion but love Jesus?Is Christianity
a “religion” or not?Did Jesus come to
abolish religion?

This is a question that has been
circulating with increasing frequency since the mid-20th century,
especially during the first decade of the present century, and which was
brought even further into the forefront in past weeks by a YouTube video that
quickly made the rounds on the internet through social networking sites.

The current questions regarding
religion and Jesus or religion and Christianity have arisen primarily from two
sources.The first of these can be seen
within Christianity as a reaction against the rigid rule-oriented portrayal of
religion that had become prevalent in certain denominational circles.In response to this portrayal, many preachers
have begun to contrast this law-oriented focus, which they would characterize
as “religious,” against a gospel-oriented message which focuses on grace and
the freedom of the Christian.

The second source from which this
question finds its origin is a movement outside of Christianity where people
consider themselves “spiritual but not religious.”Recent demographic studies of religious
identity reveal that “none of the above” or “unaffiliated” has become the
fastest growing religious identity in the United States.However, these religiously unaffiliated
persons are not primarily atheist or agnostic.Instead, they have definite spiritual ideas, but do not practice them
collectively in a Church or other religious organization or submit to any
particular authority or doctrinal system.

Much of the confusion regarding this
question about Jesus and religion can be overcome by nailing down the
definition of religion.Prevailing
dictionary definitions of religion describe it as a set of beliefs regarding
spiritual things or a devotion to a deity.When scholars speak of a religion, they use the word to refer to a
particular world religion such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Mormonism,
while they use the word denomination to refer to the particular organizations
that are divisions within Christianity.

However, the popular use of the term
religion by “spiritual but not religious” proponents outside of Christianity or
by Christian preachers who want to distinguish faith-based Christianity from
rule-oriented religion has initiated a novel view of religion that causes
confusion.

If one wants to say that Jesus is
against rule-oriented religion but in favor of a faith which trusts in Him and
embraces the freedom of knowing God’s forgiveness, then one could say that
Jesus is against “religion”.In fact,
this is the characteristic that distinguishes Christianity from every other
religious system in the world.Every
other world religion emphasizes a system of acts which must be carried out by
people in order to make things right with their deity, but Christianity
proposes that God Himself, in the person of Jesus, already accomplished
everything necessary for our spiritual good, and we receive it through trust in
Him.

However, if one wants to say that
Jesus is against any form of formal organization to religious practice, that
would be a false claim.The Bible
continually emphasizes both that Christians ought to gather together, both for worship
of God, through which He speaks to them by His preached Word and forgives their
sins through the Sacraments, and for service to others. We even see that the New Testament constantly
urges Christians to cling to pure doctrine as taught by Jesus and the Apostles
and to believe the same things rather than each having his own individual
spiritual convictions.In this sense,
Jesus is very much in favor of religion—in fact, He is the true religion.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Q:What does it mean to take God’s
name “in vain”?What are the proper and
improper ways to use God’s name in accordance with the Second Commandment?

This is one of those phrases left to
us as a legacy from the King James Bible, and which many of us remember from
when we memorized the commandments in our youth.Some translations have made this easier to
understand by translating it in simpler terms such as, “You shall not misuse
the name of the Lord your God.”

At first glance, we might think that
this commandment simply means that we shouldn’t use “God” as a curse word or
that we should avoid His proper name, “YHWH” or “Yahweh”.On the other hand, there are small groups of
Christians who insist that it is not appropriate to speak, or even to write the
word God or other words which refer to Him, and as a result, they might render
such words as “L-rd” or “G-d.”However,
this practice is more in line with the teachings of the Pharisees than of
Jesus.

While this commandment does not
forbid all usage of God’s name, it does forbid misuse of God’s name.So, for example, not only would using the
word “God” as a curse word be forbidden, but also the use of other words which
refer to God, like Lord, Almighty, Savior, Jesus, Christ, etc.In fact, even if one were to make up his own
name for God not found in any language, then misuse it, that would also be
forbidden in this commandment, because it is not the syllables, but the
intention that are addressed.

In addition to the way in which one
speaks God’s name, this commandment also addresses other ways of misusing God’s
name.For example, if one were to wish
evil upon their neighbor and do so in God’s name, or if one were to lie and
swear it to be truth in God’s name, these would also be forms of misuse.Any attempt to manipulate people or events
for personal gain using God’s name, is more akin to witchcraft than
Christianity and would be another way of misusing His name.

One misuse of God’s name which might
be less obvious, yet just as serious, is the teaching of false doctrine.This is because to teach anything other than
the truth about God is a way of misusing His name.If a preacher says, “God says…” then follows
with something untrue, he has lied about God and misused His name.Likewise, if he says, “Jesus is this…” or
“The Holy Spirit does that…” and his statement is untrue, He is telling a lie
about God and therefore misleading people in God’s name.

When Martin Luther explains this
commandment in this catechism, he reflects the teaching of several Biblical
authors when he says that the way Christians ought to use God’s name is to
“Call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.”

While God takes seriously the way in
which we use His name, He does not desire that Christians should avoid using
His name or the many titles and descriptions of Him which we find in the
Bible.Instead, He desires that we use
His name to explain the truth about Him, express our faith and trust in Him,
call upon Him and His promises in times of need, and thank and praise Him for
His many blessings.

Lutheranism is more than a cultural identity or a denominational label. In fact, this cultural and institutional baggage may be the primary obstacle in Lutheranism’s path.

To be a Lutheran is not dependent on a code of behavior or a set of common customs. Instead, to be a Lutheran is to receive Jesus in His Word, Body, and Blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Divine Service; and to be bearers of this pure Truth to a broken world corrupted with sin, death, and every lie of the devil and man’s own sinful heart.

While the false and misleading ideas of human religious invention are appealing to sin-blinded minds, they fail when exposed to the realities of life. It is tragic when souls are led to confusion and despair because of the false religious ideas with which they are surrounded. The Biblical doctrine taught by the Apostles and restored at the Reformation holds answers which are relevant regardless of time or place and offers assurance of forgiven sins and eternal life who all who believe its message.

I am a husband, a father, the pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Burt, IA, and track chaplain at Algona Raceway.